Hexe

Medium fey, Neutral Evil

Armor Class 13 (natural armor)

Hit Points 97 (13d8 + 39)

Speed 30 ft.

STR 14 (+2) · DEX 12 (+1) · CON 16 (+3) · INT 14 (+2) · WIS 12 (+1) · CHA 16 (+3)

Saving Throws Con +5, Wis +3, Cha +5

Skills Deception +5, Perception +3, Stealth +3

Gear Iron Crutch

Senses Blindsight 10 ft., passive Perception 13

Languages Common, Sylvan

Challenge 3 (700 XP)

Traits

Keen Smell. The Hexe has Advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.

Near-Sighted. The Hexe has Disadvantage on attack rolls against targets more than 30 feet away, and she cannot see anything beyond 60 feet.

Lair Action (Initiative 20). While inside her gingerbread house, on initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the Hexe can cause the icing on the floor to become a sticky trap. One creature of her choice touching the ground within the house must succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw or have its Speed reduced to 0 until the end of its next turn.

Actions

Multiattack. The Hexe makes two attacks using her Iron Crutch or Sweet Fire. She can replace one attack with Spellcasting.

Iron Crutch. Melee Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) bludgeoning damage. If the target is a Medium or smaller creature, it is automatically Grappled (escape DC 12).

Boiling Caramel. Magic Attack: +5 to hit, range 30 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (4d6) fire damage, and the target is automatically Poisoned until the end of its next turn.

Spellcasting. The Hexe casts one of the following spells, requiring no material components and using Charisma as the spellcasting ability (Spell Save DC 13):

At Will: minor illusion, prestidigitation

1/Day Each: charm person, sleep (cast at 2nd level)

Bonus Actions

Fatten Up. The Hexe violently shoves a piece of cursed gingerbread into the mouth of a creature she is Grappling. The target takes 5 (1d10) necrotic damage, and the Hexe regains Hit Points equal to the damage dealt.

Reactions

Slam the Oven. When a creature within 5 feet of the Hexe hits her with a melee attack, she strikes out with her crutch or aggressively shoves them. The attacker takes 4 (1d8) bludgeoning damage and must succeed on a DC 13 Strength saving throw or be pushed up to 10 feet away and knocked Prone.

Lore

The wicked witch from the gingerbread house in the fairy tale Hansel and Gretel.

On the edge of a huge forest lived a poor woodcutter with his wife and two children. The boy’s name was Hansel, the girl’s name was Gretel. The family was so poor that many days they had nothing at all to eat. One year things got especially bad and the price of food shot up so high that the woodcutter couldn’t even buy a single loaf of bread.

That night he lay in bed, tossing and turning, and finally said to his wife, “What’s going to happen to us? How can we feed the children when we don’t have anything left for ourselves?”

From Grimm Legends Bestiary 5E, p. 26 · Fern Flower Press